Breech plug cleaning tool

ABSTRACT

A cleaning tool set is used to clean carbon build-up from a breech plug. The cleaning tool set includes a first tool configured to remove the carbon buildup from the primer pocket and intermediate flash channel of the breech plug and a second tool configured to remove carbon buildup from the flash hole of the breech plug.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/405,311 filed Oct. 21, 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to apparatus for cleaning a firearm, and more particularly to tools for cleaning carbon buildup inside the intermediate flash channel and flash hole in a breech plug.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern muzzle-loading rifles and other muzzle-loading firearms are comprised of a barrel with an axial bore and a supporting stock. However, a muzzle-loading rifle is loaded by inserting a charge of loose or pelletized black powder or a black powder substitute and a patch or a sabot containing a projectile and tamping the charge securely into the breech end of the barrel. The powder is then ignited, e.g., by striking a percussion cap, or a primer, which sends a flame, normally through a small opening or flame bore, into the breech of the barrel through a breech plug which separates the primer from the powder charge. Upon ignition of the powder charge, the projectile is fired through the muzzle end of the barrel.

Many modern muzzle-loading firearms employ shotgun shell primers to ensure adequate ignition. Shotgun shell primers contain a much larger charge of explosive material than do pistol or rifle primers and produce a hotter ignition flame. While a larger charge of explosive material helps ensure ignition of the propellant, it produces a great deal of carbon fouling within the channels of the breech plug in the process. Excessive firing will cause an unacceptable amount of carbon fouling to be deposited in the breech plug channels. Repetitive fouling results in the channels becoming smaller and smaller in diameter as carbon layer builds upon carbon layer. Depending on conditions, this can sometimes occur within as little as three shots. As carbon accumulates, ignition becomes erratic and unreliable which in turn degrades accuracy. Continued firing results in poorer and poorer ignition until eventually the small flash channel located near the front of the breech plug becomes completely plugged off. A bridged-off flash channel prevents the primer flash from making contact with the propellant. This results in a situation in which the shooter has a loaded firearm that will not fire at all. If the shooter or hunter is on the range or in the field, he or she will have to leave the area and remove the breech plug and immerse it in a solvent to clear the flash channel. Cleaning the breech plug with solvent is messy, time consuming and highly inconvenient.

One of the main keys to the proper operation and the overall safety of firearms is keeping them clean. This is particularly true for muzzle-loading rifles, since they utilize black powder and not today's modern smokeless powder. One of the most frequently passed-over parts is the breech plug. Ignition-based residue from the primer coats the action and the inside of the breech plug. Failure to adequately and frequently clean the breech plug permits carbon buildup that degrades accuracy and eventually leads to blockage of the fire channel. Typically, this carbon residue has been removed using various solvents. The breech plug is removed from the firearm and a container is filled with enough carbon solvent to cover the breech plug and the breech plug is left to soak in the solvent for several hours. The breech plug is then dried and reinstalled in the receiver. However, this is time consuming and is inconvenient to do in the field.

It is desired to have an improved cleaning tool set for use in cleaning carbon build-up from the breech plug.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention is directed to a cleaning tool set used to clean carbon build-up from a breech plug. The cleaning tool set includes a first tool configured to remove the carbon buildup from the primer pocket and intermediate flash channel of the breech plug, and a second tool configured to remove carbon buildup from the flash hole of the breech plug.

Advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the embodiments of the invention which have been shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its details are capable of modification in various respects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the present invention, and their advantages, are illustrated specifically in embodiments of the invention now to be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a prior art breech plug used in a muzzle-loading firearm;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional drawing of the breech plug of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a tool set used to clean the breech plug according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional drawing of a first tool of the tool set of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional drawing of a second tool of the tool set of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5A is an end view of the first tool of the tool set of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5B is an end view of the second tool of the tool set of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional drawing of the breech plug of FIG. 1 receiving the first tool of the tool set of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional drawing of the breech plug of FIG. 1 receiving the second tool of the tool set of FIG. 3.

It should be noted that all the drawings are diagrammatic and not drawn to scale. Relative dimensions and proportions of parts of these figures have been shown exaggerated or reduced in size for the sake of clarity and convenience in the drawings. The same reference numbers are generally used to refer to corresponding or similar features in the different embodiments. Accordingly, the drawing(s) and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The invention will now be described in the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, wherein preferred embodiments are described in detail to enable practice of the invention. Although the invention is described with reference to these specific preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to these preferred embodiments. But to the contrary, the invention includes numerous alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description.

Muzzle-loading firearms have a barrel with a central axial bore that extends from the breech end of the barrel to the muzzle or discharge end of the firearm. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that these muzzle-loading firearms utilize a breech plug, illustrated in FIG. 1 by reference number 10, which is configured to be removably located within the breech end of the barrel. The breech plug 10 is adapted to receive a firing cap or primer that is configured to ignite the combustive material within the barrel adjacent to the breech plug 10. The breech end of the barrel is internally threaded with threads to receive breech plug 10, which is externally threaded along a rear section with threads, which engage the threads in the barrel.

An exemplary embodiment of a breech plug 10 is shown in FIG. 2. The breech plug 10 includes a first end 11 and an opposing second end 13. A central, axially aligned, firing primer pocket or chamber 12 is formed into the first end 11 of the breech plug 10. A central, axially aligned intermediate flash channel 14 extends from the primer chamber 12. A central, axially aligned flash hole 16 extends between the intermediate flash channel 14 and the barrel bore of the firearm to provide for the spark to travel from the primer chamber 12 to the powder in the barrel bore adjacent to the second end 13 of the breech plug 10. While the disclosure has been illustrated and described with respect to a typical embodiment of the breech plug, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present disclosure.

With respect to FIGS. 3-5B, an exemplary embodiment of a cleaning tool set, indicated by reference 20, used to clean carbon build-up from the breech plug 10 is shown. The tool set 20 is a 2-piece cleaning tool set which can be contained in a single package, wherein both tools are adapted to clean different portions of the breech plug 10. It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the tool set may also be formed as a single-piece cleaning member to clean the entire pathway through the breech plug. The cleaning tool set 20 includes a first tool 22 configured to remove the carbon buildup from the primer pocket 12 and intermediate flash channel 14 and a second tool 24 configured to remove carbon buildup from the flash hole 16. During manufacture of breech plugs 10, the longitudinal axis of the flash channel 14 is not necessarily coaxial with respect to the longitudinal axis of the flash hole 16. As such, the two-piece cleaning tool set 20 provides the user the ability to clean the flash channel 14 using one tool while cleaning the flash hole 16 with a separate tool. A single-piece cleaning tool may not allow for complete cleaning of the breech plug with misaligned flash channel 14 and flash hole 16 as the cleaning shaft 46 (FIG. 3) may not be insertable into the flash hole 16 if it is not aligned with the flash channel 14. However, for those breech plugs 10 having substantially aligned flash channel 14 and flash hole 16, the single-piece cleaning tool set provides the efficiency of both tools in a single member.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4A, and 5A, the first tool 22 includes a cylindrical first cleaning shaft 26 with helical first flutes 28 that spiral along the length of the first cleaning shaft 26 to lift carbon debris out of the intermediate flash chamber 14 (FIG. 2). The flutes 28 can be sharp edges, similar to a drill bit, which allows the edges of the flutes 28 to dislodge or cut out the carbon build-up from the walls of the flash chamber 14. The flutes 28 can also be blunted edges that extend from the first cleaning shaft 26 which are not sharpened but act in the same manner as the sharp edges such that the blunted edges remove the carbon build-up by grinding the build-up into the walls of the flash chamber 14 and then removing the build-up. In another embodiment, the first cleaning shaft 26 may include a wire brush (not shown) that extends radially outward from the first cleaning shaft 26. The cleaning means along the length of the first cleaning shaft 26 can be formed of any type or combination of types sufficient to remove carbon build-up from the flash chamber 14.

A first handle 30 is positioned adjacent to one end of the first cleaning shaft 26. The first handle 30 is operatively connected to the first cleaning shaft 26. The first handle 30 has a thumb knob 32 that is used to rotate the first tool 22 when the first cleaning shaft 26 is positioned within the intermediate flash channel 14. The first handle 30 also includes a primer chamber cleaning shoulder 34 that extends from the thumb knob 32. A portion of the first cleaning shaft 26 is received within the cleaning shoulder 34, and the cleaning shoulder 34 is configured to be received within the primer chamber 12 (FIG. 2). The cleaning shoulder 34 includes at least one slot 35 formed therein. In an embodiment, the cleaning shoulder 34 includes four (4) slots 35 spaced evenly about the circumference of the cleaning shoulder 34, but it should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that any number of slots 35 can be formed about the circumference of the cleaning shoulder 34. The slots 35 are formed through the thickness of the cleaning shoulder 34 and are configured to dislodge and remove any carbon build-up within the primer chamber 12.

In one embodiment of the first tool 22, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A, the thumb knob 32 has a length of about 0.460 inches and a diameter of 0.365 inches, the primer chamber cleaning shoulder 34 has a length of about 0.340 inches and a diameter of about 0.247 inches, and the first cleaning shaft 26 has a diameter of about 0.05 to 0.15 inches. The diameter of the first cleaning shaft 26 should be slightly smaller, i.e., about 0.002 to 0.010 inches smaller, than the inside diameter of the intermediate flash channel 14 so that the first flutes 28 on the first cleaning shaft 26 remove the carbon debris within the intermediate flash channel 14 without cutting into the walls of the breech plug 10. Because the first tool 22 can be used on breech plugs that have different diameters and dimensions, it should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the dimensions above are exemplary only and can be modified to correspond to similar dimensions of the different breech plugs.

In an embodiment, the first handle 30 is movable along the length of the first cleaning shaft 26 so that the position of the first handle 30 with respect to the first cleaning shaft 26 is adjustable, such that the first tool 22 may be adjusted to fit different lengths of intermediate flash channels 14 in various breech plugs 10. The first handle 30 is selectively secureable to the first cleaning shaft 26, wherein the first handle 30 can be attached to the first cleaning shaft 26 at any location along the length thereof. In one embodiment, the first cleaning shaft 26 is secured in the first handle 30 with a first set screw 40. However, other known means to secure the first cleaning shaft 26 in the first handle 30 may be used using sound engineering judgment without departing from the scope of the invention.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4B, and 5B, an exemplary embodiment of the second tool 24 is provided. The illustrated embodiment of the second tool 24 includes a second handle 42 positioned adjacent to one end of an extension shaft 44. The second handle 42 is operatively connected to the extension shaft 44. A cylindrical second cleaning shaft 46 extends from the opposing end of the extension shaft 44. The second cleaning shaft 46 has helical second flutes 48 that spiral along the length of the second cleaning shaft 46 to lift carbon debris out of the flash hole 16. The second flutes 48 can be sharp edges, similar to a drill bit, which allows the edges of the second flutes 48 to dislodge or cut out the carbon build-up from the walls of the flash hole 16. The second flutes 48 can also be blunted edges that extend from the second cleaning shaft 46 which are not sharpened but act in the same manner as the sharp edges such that the blunted edges remove the carbon build-up by grinding the build-up into the walls of the flash hole 16 and then removing the build-up. In another embodiment, the second cleaning shaft 46 may include a wire brush (not shown) that extends radially outward from the second cleaning shaft 46. The cleaning means along the length of the second cleaning shaft 46 can be formed of any type or combination of types sufficient to remove carbon build-up from the flash hole 16. The second handle 42 is used to rotate the second tool 24 when the second cleaning shaft 46 is positioned within the flash hole 16 of the breech plug 10.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 5B, the second handle 42 has a length of 0.550 inches and a diameter of 0.310 inches, the extension shaft 44 has a length of about 1.850 inches, and the second cleaning shaft 46 has a diameter of about 0.028 inches. The diameter of the second cleaning shaft 46 should be slightly smaller, i.e., about 0.002 to 0.004 inches smaller, than the inside diameter of the flash hole 16 so that the second flutes 48 on the second cleaning shaft 46 remove the carbon debris within the flash hole 16 without cutting into the walls of the breech plug 10. Because the second tool 24 can be used on breech plugs that have different diameters and dimensions, it should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the dimensions above are exemplary only and can be modified to correspond to similar dimensions of the different breech plugs.

In an embodiment, the second handle 42 is selectively securable along the length of the extension shaft 44 so that the position of the second handle 42 with respect to the extension shaft 44 may be adjusted. The selective positioning of the second handle 42 along the length of the extension shaft 44 allows the second handle 42 to be positioned such that the second cleaning shaft 46 is retracted within, or surrounded by, the second handle 42 to protect the second cleaning shaft 46. In one embodiment, the extension shaft 44 is secured in the handle with a second set screw 50. However, other known means to secure the extension shaft 44 in the second handle 42 may be used using sound engineering judgment without departing from the scope of the invention.

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate the tool set 20 in use with a breech plug 10. In operation, the first tool 22 is inserted into the breech plug 10 through the primer chamber 12 positioned at the first end 11 of the breech plug 10. As the first cleaning shaft 26 of the first tool 22 is inserted into the flash channel 14 of the breech plug 10, the first cleaning shaft 26 is rotated about the longitudinal axis thereof. Rotation of the first cleaning shaft 26 allows the first flutes 28 to remove any carbon build-up that may be present along the walls of the flash channel 14. The first cleaning shaft 26 is continually inserted into the flash channel 14 until the cleaning shoulder 34 is seated within the primer chamber 12. Continued rotation of the first tool 22 allows the cleaning shoulder 34 of the first tool 22 to remove any potential carbon build-up that may be present within the primer chamber 12. Once the first tool 22 has been fully inserted and rotated within the breech plug 10, the first tool 22 is then removed. While one insertion and removal of the first tool 22 into the breech plug 10 may be sufficient to clean and completely remove all of the carbon build-up within the primer chamber 12 and flash channel 14, additional insertions/removal of the first tool 22 can also be done to ensure a completely cleaning.

Once the first tool 22 has been used to clean the primer chamber 12 and the flash channel 14, the second tool 24 can be used to clean the flash hole 16 of the breech plug 10, as shown in FIG. 6B. In operation, the second cleaning shaft 46 and the extension shaft 44 of the second tool 24 is inserted into the breech plug 10 through the primer chamber 12 and the flash channel 14 until the second cleaning shaft 46 begins to enter the flash hole 16. The second tool 24 is then rotated by rotating the second handle 42, thereby resulting in the rotation of the second cleaning shaft 46. The second tool 24 is then rotatably inserted further such that the second cleaning shaft 46 continues to rotate and move along the length of the flash hole 16. Continued rotation of the second cleaning shaft 46 removes the carbon build-up along the walls of the flash hole 16. The second tool 24 is continually inserted into the breech plug 10 until the second handle 42 contacts either the first end 11 of the breech plug 10 or a shoulder within the primer chamber 12. Once the second tool 24 has been fully inserted and rotated within the breech plug 10, the second tool 24 is then removed. While one insertion and removal of the second tool 22 into the breech plug 10 may be sufficient to clean and completely remove all of the carbon build-up within the flash hole 16, additional insertions/removal of the second tool 24 can also be done to ensure a completely cleaning.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it should be understood that the present invention is not so limited and modifications may be made without departing from the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims, and all devices, processes, and methods that come within the meaning of the claims, either literally or by equivalence, are intended to be embraced therein. 

1. A breech plug cleaning tool comprising: a first tool having a first handle operatively connected to a first cleaning shaft, wherein said first cleaning shaft has first flutes; and a second tool having a second handle operatively connected to an extension shaft, wherein a second cleaning shaft extends from a distal end of said extension shaft, and wherein said second cleaning shaft has second flutes.
 2. The breech plug cleaning tool of claim 1, wherein said first tool further includes a cleaning shoulder extending from said first handle, said cleaning shoulder positioned about at least a portion of said first cleaning shaft.
 3. The breech plug cleaning tool of claim 2, wherein said cleaning shoulder includes at least one slot formed through a thickness thereof.
 4. The breech plug cleaning tool of claim 1, wherein said first handle is selectively secureable to said first cleaning shaft such that said first handle is securingly positionable along a length of said first cleaning shaft.
 5. The breech plug cleaning tool of claim 4, wherein said first handle is selectively secureable to said first cleaning shaft by a set screw.
 6. The breech plug cleaning tool of claim 1, wherein said second handle is selectively secureable to said extension shaft such that said second handle is securingly positionable along a length of said extension shaft.
 7. The breech plug cleaning tool of claim 6, wherein said second handle is selectively secureable to said extension shaft by a set screw.
 8. A breech plug cleaning kit comprising: a first tool having a first handle operatively connected to a first cleaning shaft, wherein said first cleaning shaft has first flutes, and wherein said first handle includes a cleaning shoulder; and a second tool having a second handle operatively connected to a second cleaning shaft, wherein said second cleaning shaft has second flutes.
 9. The breech plug cleaning kit of claim 8, wherein said second cleaning shaft extends from a distal end of an extension shaft, and said second handle being positionally adjustable along a length of said extension shaft relative to said second cleaning shaft.
 10. The breech plug cleaning kit of claim 9 further comprising a set screw for selectively securing said second handle to said extension shaft.
 11. The breech plug cleaning kit of claim 8 further comprising a set screw for selectively securing said first handle to said first cleaning shaft. 